Tag Archives: Toyota

Chip Repair for Cars and Trucks – the 2 P’s

Paint chips take a real toll on a car. No matter how careful you are, your car is bound to get a chip from a wayward shopping cart, a door ding, or gravel flying low across the car.  It seems that modern paint is not only expensive but more subject to chips, as many new car makers seem to skimp on the thickness of their paints. But chip repair is easy to do.

To get a quality DIY repair you need to focus on two P’s – Preparation and Paint.  Without sufficient attention to these two prime areas, your chip repair will be less than successful.

Paint Chip Preparation

First, you should evaluate the paint chip or scratch and see what is involved. Did the scratch go all the way to bare metal or is the body piece even made with metal?  If your fingernail can catch on the chip or scratch you have some prep work to do.  Depending on the severity you need to take super fine sandpaper (1000-1500 grit wet) and sand those edges so they are smooth. This will make the paint easier to apply and blend in with the original paint. 

A good quality car wash should be applied around the affected areas. That should remove any surface contaminants. Be sure and remove all existing waxes or sealants by using some isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to remove any car chemicals on the chip area.

Let the area dry and get it in good lighting so you can see what you are doing

Paint for Paint Chip RepairAutomotiveTouchup-Products

You need to make sure that your new paint will match the existing paint. If your car has never been repainted and you bought it new, you should have the listing of what the color and the paint code (a string of letters and numbers) is. If not, look inside of your glove box and see if the information is printed there. As a last resort, your dealership should be able to help you out.

If the car has been re-painted hopefully the painter can tell you the paint code that he “used”. But even if armed with a code, there is no guarantee that he mixed it right. A different vendor or batch of paint can still have differences.

Now you have several choices where you can get your paint. A regular auto paint supply shop could mix up a quantity but they may have a large minimum amount for an order. Plus remember these guys are more apt to make paint up in large volumes, so when you ask for a small 2-ounce bottle of paint they may lack the precise dispensers for such a small quantity. One drop too much may make a huge difference in the final look.

I would suggest that you get your paint from AutomotiveTouchUp. They are a national company that specializes in the rapid shipment of consumer-friendly amounts. They also have advice on their website if you want to review the repair process. With the paint in hand, it is now time to do the touch-up.

Paint Chip Repair

Think small, very small. Rather than apply a large glob of paint your aim is to sneak up on the repair by applying small amounts and let it dry before applying a second level.  The first attempt should get a good portion of the chip covered with each additional layer building up to the final effort.AutomotiveTouchup-Webpage

Let the paint thoroughly dry. At this point, you would apply a clear coat if applicable.  Let dry again and then use a small amount of rubbing compound to get that paint to shine.  Let dry some more. Frankly, for a small job, the paint is not going to emit a lot of fumes (gassing) and you could apply a small amount of wax. If you spray can’d a large panel you will want to let the paint cure for at least one month before applying any wax or sealant.  If you can smell “new” paint still, don’t wax.

With a little time and effort, you can get a great chip repair. Remember the two P’s and take your time. Use quality paint and tools and you will be surprised at the results.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 

Great Subscription Offer from Round-Up Publications

The good folks at Round-Up Publications know a thing or two about good deals. Their magazines are packed with deals tighter than five teenagers in a trunk sneaking into a drive-in movie. Remember those?

For a limited time the publisher is offering an exclusive offer.  Get a year’s subscription to not one, not TWO but all THREE of their award winning magazines.  Yes folks, you’d get a year of Classic Car Round-Up and Truck Round-Up. These are monthly issues so that translates to twenty four sets of great deals and car articles.

But WAIT there’s more. You also get a year’s subscription to Auto Round-Up magazine, the star ship of the fleet from the publisher. This comes out every two weeks so you’ll get 26 issues delivered to your door.

Round-Up Magazines

With that many magazines, your mailman will need a back brace. Plus you’re bound to find at least one amazing deal on one amazing car or truck or …

Besides the great ads for cars and trucks, there is always a mass of parts and supplies offered for sale.  So don’t delay and get your order in. Operators might not be standing by, but the electrons of the WWW – world wide web are. So hop to it!

Here is the link for ordering this awesome set of magazines.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 

NASCAR Paint Schemes for ISM Race

NASCAR races are always colorful and exciting. Beyond the roar of the engines and the cars chasing around the ovals (or in the case of ISM Raceway the dogleg), one can sense the crowd’s anticipation as they follow their favorite drivers. While three manufacturers, Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota, are sponsoring cars in the NASCAR Monster Energy Series these cars bare little resemblance to the cars on the showroom floors. Many people complain that the NASCAR cars are “all the same” and no longer do they “buy on Monday, what won on Sunday.”NASCAR Paint Scheme

NASCAR Color Schemes

But one way to differentiate the cars is by their color scheme. Some teams will keep a consistent scheme for their sponsor but with a mix of sponsorships and style many cars will change up their colors on a constant basis. Which if you collect the racer’s models means you need to buy multiple sets too.

At the recent NASCAR Monster Energy Bluegreen Vacation 500 race held at ISM Raceway in Avondale, Arizona the Chevy cars did not have an impressive day, with Denny Hamlin (Toyota) winning and the highest Chevrolet finisher was Kyle Larson in fourth place. But we still opted to check out the cars and their colors for the day.NASCAR Paint Scheme

A special nod to Ty Dillon, whose sponsor Geico noted their government and military basis by adding “military” under their brand. Very fitting since the day after the race was Veteran’s Day.NASCAR Paint Scheme

Color Schemes

Of course calling these “paint” schemes might be tad misleading since now days most of these colors are vinyl wraps. Much easier to apply and swap out as the needs arise.

Alex Bowman’s continues the rainbow scheme that Jeff Gordon used with DuPont/Axalta. NASCAR Paint Scheme

Notice how many sponsors’ names are splashed on the hood to show up and yet Monster Energy drink is happy with just their logo on Kurt Busch’s car. We’ll miss Monster’s title sponsorship of the top tier in NASCAR.NASCAR Paint Scheme

So what do you think? Which color scheme garbs you?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

NASCAR Driver’s Walk at ISM Raceway

One of NASCAR’s charms is the approachability of drivers and nowhere is this more apparent than at Phoenix’s (okay Avondale’s actually), Arizona ISM Raceway. The renovated speedway is a fan’s paradise and it is most apparent along the “driver’s walk” on race day.NASCAR Driver's Walk

Infield access

For the price of an infield ticket NASCAR fans get unique access. Along with watching the garages and being at Victory Lane, the fans can camp out along a pathway that NASCAR drivers must walk for the mandatory driver’s meeting. But get there early as often the throngs can be five or ten deep and only a select few will get right up along the fence line.NASCAR Driver's Walk

NASCAR Driver’s Walk

Typically the driver’s will walk in with some helpers and assistants. Someone in the crowd will often yell out which driver is approaching (and hopefully they are right). Fans might shift for a better view or swap out memorabilia that they wanted signed. Drivers, depending on their mood, will stop and pose for photos, chat with their fans and sign autographs. Yes William Byron actually was signing a water bottle!NASCAR Driver's Walk

Drivers aren’t the only celebrities that walk the line. Crew chiefs naturally will amble past and even the occasionally car owner.NASCAR Driver's Walk

Once the NASCAR Driver’s Meeting is over the procession reverses itself, but at times the drivers and others are more focused and determined to get back to their garages and get the last minute details sorted out.NASCAR Driver's Walk

You may see the NASCAR Driver’s Walk on television, but until you see it in person you can’t appreciate it. That ability for fans to say they saw, talked with or got a treasured autograph from their driver is unmatched in most other sports. And ISM Raceway helps make it exceptionally fun and accessible.  Buy a ticket to a NASCAR race and pay the upgrade for infield and you are guaranteed to have an awesome event.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Supra from Toyota Revived at Barrett-Jackson

The Toyota Supra is a Japanese sports car  produced starting in 1978. The original four generations of the Supra were manufactured from 1978 to 2002. The styling of the Supra was a take off of the Toyota Celica, but with it being both longer and wider. Starting in mid-1986, the Supra model became a separate model distinct from the Celica.

In 1998, Toyota regrettably ceased sales of the fourth generation Supra in the United States and in 2002 Toyota officially stopped production of the Supra even in Japan. But in 2019, the fifth generation Supra is unleashed.

The new 2019 Supra was displayed at the recent Barrett-Jackson auction held in Scottsdale, AZ. Besides the new model, the marketing folks from Toyota rounded up a fine set of white clad specimens representing the previous four generations for a nostalgic look.  During the auction, a 2019 Supra GR still to be built, but number 1 on the VIN was auctioned off for $2,100,000 with the proceeds going to charity.2019 Supra

Supra First Generation A40

The first generation Supra was based largely upon the Toyota Celica lift back, but longer. The doors and rear section were shared with the Celica but the front panels were elongated to accommodate the inline-6 instead of the stock Celica’s 4-cylinder engine.Supra First Generation Driver Side

Supra Second Generation A60

In mid 1981, Toyota completely redesigned the full Celica lineup, thus including the Supra, for its 1982 production year. Still being based around the Celica platform, there were several key differences, most notably the design of the front end and fully retractable pop-up headlights. but a six cylinder was still offered.

Supra Third Generation A70

In February 1986, a totally separate model Supra was introduced. It was no longer based on the Celica. . The Celica changed to front-wheel drive, while the Supra kept its rear-wheel-drive set up.

Supra Third Generation

Supra Fourth Generation A80

Official mass production began in April 1993. The fourth-gen Supra again shared its platform with the Lexus SC. However, the two cars looked nothing alike and the Supra was more than 13 inches (340 mm) shorter than its Lexus stable mate. Supra Fourth Generation


Supra Fifth Generation A902019 Supra

The latest version of this iconic nameplate is generating some buzz, both good and bad. Its engine was a joint effort with BMW and it even garnered its own “pinball wizard” Super Bowl commercial.  As with many “revived” nameplates, it will be interesting to see what the public thinks of the latest Supra?  What are your thoughts?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Nonsense All Purpose Cleaner from Chemical Guys

            Car owners realize that keeping their car clean is important but sometimes life gets in the way. Before you know it, a car interior can get grungy. But it is amazing how simple it can be to bring a car’s interior back to prime looks. A useful all purpose cleaner is Nonsense from Chemical Guys.Bottle of Nonsense All Purpose Cleaner

Nonsense

            I have been a huge fan and user of Nonsense ever since the main guy behind Chemical Guys recommended it to me. It comes full strength and I usually get great results diluted to a 10:1 ratio. Nonsense pulls up the grime, leaves no sticky residue and doesn’t engulf the air with perfume odors. We love that it just does the job and gets great results.

Nonsense to the Test

            These seats on a 2007 Toyota Camry are a soft fabric, but the light gray coloring will attract dirt quickly. I was wondering if the dirt was ground in too much, so I did a test strip first. A simple spray of the cloth, followed by a brisk scrubbing with a hand held brush and the results showed up! Dirty Car Seat Half Cleaned with Nonsense

A few more minutes of scrubbing and the whole car seat came back to new. I especially like the fact that the cloth maintained the original feel and shape with no soapy residue left behind.Cleaned with Nonsense Close Up

Nonsense from Chemical Guys

            Nonsense is part of a complete set of boutique car detailing products offered by Chemical Guys. You can also get it at their franchised retail stores- Detail Garage. It works on a variety of stains and never lets me down. For a super tough stain you could amp up the dilution level but 10:1 seems to be the perfect stain removal solution for me. Try some and let us know what you think!Cleaned with Nonsense Extreme Close Up of Cloth

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Headlight Restorer and Protectant from Chemical Guys

It seems every year at the SEMA Show that more vendors pop up offering a headlight restoration product.  From a few companies that offered a slew of detailing gear and compounds, now anybody with a selling spot had a miracle liquid cleaner for those pesky glazed over headlights.Headlight Before

Headlight history

Ever since the car manufacturers dropped using glass headlights, (anybody remember the sealed round H-4’s ?), which was initiated in 1983; the movement to plastic lenses has also created a market to repair the glazed, cloudy lenses. Originally many just paid their mechanic to swap in a new lens but that option gets more and more expensive. So now companies offer up various cleaners to restore the lens to like new condition.

Headlight restoration

Some sites will recommend toothpaste or even bug repellant to clean lenses but honestly these are short term fixes that mask the issue. Most legitimate cleaners work by smoothing out the rough surface and then polishing the plastic back to new.  If the surface has really degraded, the repair process might need to actually start with sandpaper to get in all the deep crevices.

Headlight Restorer and Protectant from Chemical Guys

We had the chance to try out the Headlight Restorer and Protectant liquid from Chemical Guys, a leader in the boutique car detailing business.  These guys (no pun intended) know their stuff and I was impressed with the outcome.  Our test car was a 2010 Camry whose lenses have been exposed to some intense Arizona heat.  The directions call for spreading 3 – 6 dots of Headlight Restorer and Protectant over a microfiber towel or applicator pad, then scrubbing the hazy headlight lens vigorously until the polish turns clear and finally wipe off residue with a clean microfiber towel and inspect work. Repeat as necessary.Cleaner on a microfiber

The protectant part of this product is equally important because after cleaning and polishing the lens, the sun is still going to beat down on that plastic.  That means you need some sort of UV resistant layer to help prolong the squeaky clean look. Chemical Guys uses sealant technology to preserve that look and keep the sun at bay.

We were impressed with the ease of use, no need for an electrical buffer, and the look is darn right impressive.  We’ll keep an eye on the lenses and see how they hold up over the next few months, so subscribes to this blog and see how the product holds up in Arizona’s brutal heat.Headlight After

PS  Technically these electrical components are headlamps, and the light they emit are headlights but I don’t know anybody who calls them headlamps. Do you?

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Scion Coming to SEMA

SEMA Signage
SEMA Show in Las Vegas

Toyota’s Scion brand is prepping for the upcoming SEMA Show in a big way by teasing out two sketches of some customized, tricked out Scion’s. Scion will showcase in Las Vegas at least two models; a Slayer Mobile Amp tC themed after trash metal band Slayer and a Riley Hawk Skate Tour xB named for the pro skateboarder.

Scion

Scion’s have always branded and positioned themselves as an entry market for coming of age drivers and buyers and offer many ways to customize the cars right off the dealer’s lot.
Last year Toyota had some neat racer inspired cars plus a “Tanked” Highlander which we showcased here. Now we’ll have to be sure and check out the Scion cars this year!

Scion SlayerSlayer

You’d expect a Slayer dedicated show car to focus on the music and you wouldn’t be wrong.

The music is going to be pumping out of this tC for sure. Slayer is a California formed heavy metal band and has won two Grammy awards. It will be interesting to see if any of the four band members make it out for the debut of this Scion.

Riley Hawk

Riley Hawk’s ride, an xB, will present a flashback to the 70’s van craze. His ride will have shag carpet, bubble windows and wood paneling on the interior. Can’t wait to see it in person at the SEMA show in Las Vegas. There is bound to be enough room for his skateboard in this tricked out Scion!Scion Hawk

Riley Hawk is the son of Tony Hawk, who revolutionized skateboarding on the West Coast. Riley is only 21 years of age and is already an award winning skater, but suspect Dad had to explain what shag carpeting was about!

SEMA

The sketches are a bit limited in presenting what the final version will look like, but can’t wait to see the outcomes in a month at the SEMA Show. We’ll keep our eye peeled for more progress updates.

 

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

 

Artwork courtesy of Toyota ©

 

GearWrench Gimbal Ratchet

Gearwrench Gimbal Ratchet Closeup

GearWrench makes some great tools. It is known for their time-saving closed end box wrenches and we previously posted about there two Gimbal Ratchets.  Now we show you how effective and helpful they can actually be.Gearwrench Gimbal Ratchet

Gimbal Ratchets

These ratchets debuted at last year’s SEMA Show and we were mesmerized by the engineering and thinking behind these ratchets. Unlike a typical thumb drive ratchet, the GearWrench Gimbal Ratchet floats inside two rings, so that like a gyroscope, you can tweak and twist what plane these ratchets match up to.

The beauty of these two ratchets,  in both 1/4″ and 3/8″ drive, is they can always easily line up with the fastener you are working on, regardless of where they are in a car or other application.

Toyota Camry

Camry Firewall

Now I love my tools but before adding to my inventory, the tool has to prove its worth.  Here is a real world application.  On the firewall of a 2012 Camry is a bolt, arranged around a variety of metal  tubing and some slightly flexible rubber tubing.

Camry Firewall Closeup

Clearly a box or open wrench will not fit.  A typical socket wrench will need a few extensions and flexible joints to make it work and even then you’re going to have to be a contortionist to get decent use and leverage on that fastener.

Gearwrench Gimbal Ratchet

Gearwrench Gimbal Ratchet on Fastener

Now the GearWrench Gimbal Ratchet can easily reach the fastener without any more extensions or flexible joints. The two gimbals allow the ratchet to clear the metal tubing without any worries and your hand can control the exterior drive mechanism easily with your hand (and body) in a convenient place.

Gearwrench Gimbal Ratchet with hand

Gearwrench Gimbal Ratchet in use

You can order these ratchets directly from GearWrench or find them at your favorite tool dealer.

Gearwrench Gimbal Ratchet Obstructed

 

Do you have another favorite tool from GearWrench?  Let us know.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Tanked works on a Highlander

Tanked is a popular show on the Animal Planet where two brothers-in-law working in Las Vegas make custom fish tanks.  Their skill and ingenuity is enviable.

Toyota Highlander
Highlander morphed by Tanked

Las Vegas

Seems appropriate that the firm is based in Las Vegas, which is also the home for the SEMA Show.  At last year’s show, Toyota showed off a SpongeBob and SquarePants themed Highlander with the interior dedicated to a fish tank.  The 800 gallon tank consumes most of the interior of  the spacious Toyota Highlander.

The engine was removed and replaced with the pumps and filters for the aquarium.

Toyota Highlander

The representatives from Toyota were very pleased with the outcome  and is a big hit with the younger kids.  You had to look close to realize that there were actual fish swimming around in the tank.  Twenty species were in the tank including starfish and clown fish.

The exterior artwork on the Highlander mimicked the SpongBob SquarePants theme as well

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.